First aid kit



May 23, 1939. v H. McDONOUGH I 2,159,904

FIRST AID KIT Filed May 10, 1957 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Patented May 23, 1939 UNITE STATES FATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to first aid kits of the kind particularly adapted for carrying in vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, boats or for a traveler to place in his traveling bag so that he may have it available immediately in case of emergency. Kits of this type also form a necessary part of the equipment of campers, hikers and others who may be temporarily located at a point remote from. hospitals or other place to receive medical care.

An object of the invention is to provide a small compact kit holding a plurality of containers firmly in place to avoid jar of the containers against each other and against the kit with the possible resultant breakage or damage to the containers.

- Another object is to hold the various containers in the kit removably in place so that they may be readily removed quickly in case of an emergency and yet the containers will be rigidly held in the respective places provided under normal conditions.

A further object is to provide a plurality of various kinds of containers such as rolls and vari-shaped bottles in compact relation where they will be held snugly in place under normal conditions.

In the selected embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a perspective view of the kit in open position; 7

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the kit in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of a clip for holding a roll of material such as a roll of adhesive tape in place in the kit;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a clamp for holding bottles in place in the kit;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the kit when open;

Fig. 6 is a similar transverse sectional View when the kit is closed;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the manner in which the clip of Fig. 3 holds a roll of adhesive tape in place;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal View of a fragment of the kit showing the manner in which the clamp holds vari-shaped bottles in place;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 99 on Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail fragmentary plan view of one end of the spring clamp for holding rolled material in place; and

Fig. 11 is a broken plan view, partly in section, of a roll containing absorbent cotton.

The kit comprises a bottom generally indicated by 12 and a top generally indicated by I3. Both the bottom and top have integral front, back and side walls and a hinge l4 interconnecting the two back walls at the free edge thereof. Guide posts 5 I5 are provided on the inside of the end walls of the bottom to which they are fastened and serve to guide the end walls of the top for registering the top on the bottom of the kit. Any suitable locking device IE may be provided on the front 10 wall of the top and is adapted to engage a cutout or depressed portion ll on the front wall of the bottom for securely holding the top to the bottom under normal conditions. I provide a clip l8 preferably in a corner of the bottom spaced 15 from the adjacent front and side walls for the purpose of holding an ordinary roll 18 of adhesive tape in place. The .clip comprises a base portion [9 riveted or secured in any other suitable manner to the body of the bottom and 20 curved wings 20 integral with the base 19 extend upwardly therefrom. The wings are arranged so that the outside of the curve will engage the inside of the roll of adhesive tape and the extremities of the wings form grip portions 5 which may be grasped by the fingers to remove the roll of adhesive tape therefrom or replace the. roll thereon. The clip is made of steel with an inherent springiness' so that the wings may normally spread outwardly from each other to se- 30 curely hold the roll inplace. A spring clamp 2| comprising a clamp portion 22 (Fig. 10) and a coil portion 23 is secured to the front wall of the bottom by means of a U-shaped bracket 24 and a pintle 25 extending through each leg of the U 35 and through the coil 23. The ends of the pintle are peened over on the outside of the legs of the U and the connecting portion of the U is secured to the front wall of the bottom by spotwelding or other suitable means. The coil terminates at its free end in an extension 28 which engages the connecting portion of the U. It is to be understood that the spring clamp 2i is provided at each end with a coil 23 secured to the front wall of the bottom. by a bracket Z l. The 45 spring clamp is arranged to normally press downwardly upon a roll 2 l of absorbent cotton whereby the roll is securely but removably held in place. A pair of spring clamps 21, similar to the spring clamps 21, are arranged in the top and are fastened to the front wall of the top for holding a pair of rolls 21 and 21" of gauze of diiferent widths securely in place in the top. I find it convenient to carry some swabs 28 un- 55 from the body of the walls.

der the rolls of gauze where they are held in place by means of the pair of spring clamps 2?.

I also provide a pair of holding devices 29 and 30 adjacent the roll 2| of cotton, which holding devices are riveted, spotwelded or secured by any other suitable means to the bottom of the body of the kit. The holding device 29 is for the purpose of holding a pair of tweezers and the holding device 30 is for the purpose of holding a pair of scissors, both of which items are necessary implements for use in administering first aid.

I provide clamps generally indicated by 3! (Fig 4) which comprise a base 32 and upstanding walls 33 and 34 bent from the base. The Walls 34 have wings 35 and 36 respectively bent at right angles thereto and have further spring tongues 3'! and 38 respectively struck outwardly I prefer to distort the tongues slightly by providing bulges in the outer face thereof, as best shown in Figs. 8 and 9. :llhe bases of the clamps 3| are secured to the body of the bottom. by rivets, spotwelding or in any other suitable manner in spaced relation to each other and to the walls of the bottom. The spacing is such that a circular section bottle may be'zheld in the corner of the kit (Fig. 8) formed byi the back wall and a side wall and the tongue 31; of the adjacent clamp will press against this particular bottle to frictionally engage it so that itltvill be firmly held in place. The tongue 38 of the same clamp and'the tongue 37 of the next clamp will engage the next circular bottle to hold it in place against the back wall of the bottom and the succeeding bottles across the kit will be similarly held in place.

.:I'he upstanding walls 33 and 34 are normally bent slightly inwardly so that a substantially square bottle may be placed in the clamp to be yieldingly held therein by the inherent springiness of the walls 33 and 34 and their respective wings 35 and 36.

;;My invention provides a first aid kit having a clip therein for holding a roll of adhesive tape and a plurality of spring clamps for holding rolls (gtcotton and gauze and holding devices for retaining a pair of tweezers and a pair of scissors and a plurality of clamps for holding a plurality oRvari-shaped bottles rigidly but in readily removable position. All of the equipment contained in the kit is held so that no part of it can rattle or strike against any other part of the equipment causing damage or breakage to any of the equipment. The kit has the equipment therein arranged in a compact manner with a great conservation of space.

While I have illustrated and described a selected embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself to such changes and alterations as fall within the scope of the following claims:

I claim 1. A clamp-ing device adapted to be secured to the bottom of a first aid kit and comprising a pair of upstanding walls, and a spring tongue struck outwardly from each of said walls and adapted to cooperate with a wall of said kit to yieldingly hold bottles securely in place in said kit, said pair of walls also adapted to yieldingly hold a bottle therebetween.

2. A clamping device adapted to be secured to the bottom of a first aid kit and comprising a' pair of upstanding walls having the bodies thereof arranged in normal relation to each other at adjacent side edges thereof, and a wing on each of said walls at the opposite side edges and extending in normal relation to said walls respectively, said walls being bent slightly inwardly to yieldingly hold a bottle between said walls and their respective wings.

3. A clamping device adapted to be secured to the bottom of a first aid kit and comprising a pair of upstanding walls having the bodies thereof arranged in normal relation to each other at adjacent side edges thereof, a wing on each of said walls at the opposite side edges and extending in normal relation to said walls respectively, said walls being bent slightly inwardly to yieldingly hold a bottle between said walls and their respective wings, and a spring tongue struck outwardly from the body of each of said walls and adapted to cooperate with a wall of said kit and another of said' clamping devices to yieldingly hold another bottle securely in said kit exteriorly of said devices.

HENRY MCDONOUGH. 

